"Wait up, Aphie!"

Dot giggled as she pushed through the blades of grass in her path. A few inches ahead of her, her pet aphid zipped easily around their bases, his stubby legs carrying him much faster than seemed possible.

The two of them often played this game of chase in the early mornings, before most of the colony (with the exception of Flik, who preferred working at night and sleeping most of the day) awoke. It was Dot's time to bask in the crisp island air before Princess — no, Queen Atta — forced her to sit in a stuffy room with Doctor Cornelius and learn about things that royal ants were supposed to know.

She knew her private tutoring sessions were just part of the deal as a daughter of the former queen, but she missed being surrounded by her friends in Mister Soil's classroom. She missed having endless time to go outside and play or visit Flik in his workshop. She missed not having to wear an itchy crown all the time.

She missed her mom.

Dot felt a spasm of grief wrack her chest and immediately pushed it down, as far down as it could go. Her therapist, Miss Gypsy, wouldn't be happy with her ("You need to let yourself feel your sadness, dear"), but she didn't care.

It was a beautiful summer day, and the last thing she wanted to think about was her dead mother.

Aphie was out of sight now. Dot slowed, panting, and brushed a bead of sweat from her forehead. If she flew she could keep pace with the little bug, but it felt nice to use her legs once in a while.

"What are you doing so far from the anthill, little one?"

Dot's feelers stood straight up as a prickling sensation spread along the back of her neck. The question had come from behind her, and it wasn't from a voice she recognized.

She turned around slowly, willing her racing heart to settle as she reminded herself it wasn't uncommon for strangers to visit Ant Island. A sigh of relief escaped her at the sight of another ant leaning against a clover tree a few inches away from her

He was from the colony that had come to their anthill just a few days ago. Dot had been frightened by the sight of them at first, as she'd never seen ants with an extra pair of arms like grasshoppers before. They loomed a couple centimeters taller than most of the Ant Island natives, and their exoskeletons were a dark, dark blue — like the color of midnight. The scariest part about them were the glistening black stingers attached to the bottom of their abdomens.

They'd come to consult with Flik — the island's prince consort, now that he was married to Atta — about establishing a trade system between their kingdom and his. Everyone in this corner of the Insect Realm wanted access to Flik's technology these days, and they were willing to barter whatever their highest form of currency was to get it.

Dot didn't mind this. It was nice having goods they'd never had before: honey from a nearby Bee colony, silk from a distant clew of Silkworms, sunflower petals from a friendly cloud of grasshoppers, and a whole storage room's worth of exotic fruits and seeds from various other species of insects. And with Flik being the generous ant he was, he rarely turned down an offer — even if it was something the colony didn't need or even really want. (Thankfully Atta had persuaded him to gently decline the smelly mounds offered by the Dung Beetles.)

Apparently this most recent group of ants had traveled here out of curiosity. They wanted to explore the famed Ant Island and meet its royal family, experience the circus performance they'd heard so much about, and take a tour of Flik's recently expanded workshop. In spite of their intimidating looks, they were some of the nicest ants she'd ever met.

She couldn't remember much about this particular one. He was on the more slender side, tall even for his species of Ant. Markings the color of poppies were painted on his forehead and cheeks.

Most noticeable of all was his stinger, or lack thereof. It was about half the size of the others she'd seen, ending in a rounded nub rather than a sharp point. Seeing this made Dot feel even less frightened.

"Hasn't your mother ever taught you it's rude to stare?"

The word mother jostled Dot from her thoughts. A throb of pain squeezed her chest again.

"Sorry, sir," she said, though she couldn't help but think she was the wrong bug apologizing in this situation. "I didn't see you there."

The corners of his mouth pulled into a grin. "Did I scare you?" he asked. It was strange how pleased he looked at the thought.

"A little," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "You mostly surprised me, is all. Most visitors don't travel this far into the forest."

"So why are you here, then?"

Dot had forgotten that was the ant's original question. "I just come out here sometimes with my aphid," she explained. "He likes to run with me. It helps him get his energy out when he's cooped up for too long."

He grinned again, tapping his long, black fingers in an erratic beat along the clover trunk. "It's no good to be cooped up now, is it?"

She shook her head in agreement. Silence fell between them as he continued to smile in her direction. Dot munched on her bottom lip and shifted from one foot to the other, wondering how she could excuse herself from this bug's presence without telling him flat out that he made her uncomfortable. That wasn't how a princess was supposed to treat their guests.

Even weirdo ants like this one.

"Well, I need to get back home to feed Aphie," she finally said. "It was nice to meet you, Mister…"

He stopped tapping and threw his head back with a sharp peal of laughter. It reminded Dot of how her mother used to laugh when she was entertaining guests she didn't care for all that much.

"Oh, silly me!" he exclaimed as he brushed away an invisible tear. "Here I am asking all these questions, and I haven't even properly introduced myself. You can call me Zinc, little one."

Dot bristled at the nickname. The first time he called her that she hadn't minded, but the way he said it now felt belittling in more ways than one.

It was time to go.

"Nice to meet you, Zinc," she said, a cold edge to her voice. "I hope you enjoy your stay on Ant Island."

Zinc's teeth glittered in the sunlight, unsettlingly white against his dark exoskeleton. "I've very much enjoyed it, Princess," he said as he took a step forward. Dot took a small step backward, determined to keep the distance between herself and this ant who grew stranger by the second. "In fact, now that I've gotten to know your home so well, I'd love to invite you to come and see my own colony."

Buzz off, creep, she wanted to say. But the words that left her mouth were more fitting for a member of the royal family.

"I appreciate your invitation, Mister Zinc," she said, flourishing her sentence with a curtsy that she secretly hoped came across as mocking. "I'll need to talk with my sister Atta and her…husband, Flik, and maybe we can arrange a trip there sometime."

An odd expression passed over Zinc's face at the name Flik, one Dot couldn't quite read. She noticed for the first time that his pupils were rimmed in red.

"Ah yes, Prince Consort Flik," he said slowly, speaking her friend's name like it was a rotten piece of fruit. Two steps forward, two steps back. "He cares for you very much, doesn't he?"

Dot's antennae went rigid again as the prickle in her neck returned. She didn't like the way he asked the question. She didn't like anything about this.

"I need to find my aphid and go home," she said, hating the tremor in her voice.

He stuck his bottom lip out, his face a mask of pity. "Oh, no. Did you lose your pet?"

Dot ignored him. Her wings buzzed to life, lifting her about a centimeter from the ground. There was a glint of light behind him, and she realized with a pit in her stomach that Zinc had wings, too.

Maybe she could outfly him. Maybe she could call for help and Atta or one of the circus bugs would come to her aid. Maybe...

She heard a squeal from behind.

Dot whirled around in mid-air, her heart thumping hard against her chest. Three more ants had emerged from the clover trees, their skin the same inky color as Zinc's. She recognized these ones from when they'd visited the anthill a couple days ago. The one in the middle was the largest of the trio, which meant he also had the biggest stinger.

And he was the one holding Aphie.

Dot's pet looked like a bright green speck compared to the massive ant. His whole body was shaking with fear as his frightened eyes met hers. The hands around him tightened, and he yelped again.

"Stop!" she cried, reaching helplessly towards the aphid. "You're hurting him!"

Hot breath warmed the back of her neck. Dot flinched at the sound of Zinc's voice in her antennae.

"My friend here is pretty strong," he said, his bony fingers curling around her shoulder like spider legs. "It would be a shame if he accidentally squeezed too hard."

Tears welled in Dot's eyes. She blinked them back and swallowed the lump in her throat. "What do you want?" she whispered, though she already knew the answer.

She couldn't see Zinc's face, but she could hear his smile. "I want you to come see my colony."

Aphie whimpered. Dot closed her eyes and clenched her fists, her mind scrambling to come up with some way out of this situation that wouldn't end in anyone getting hurt. Instead it began showing her the faces of those she loved.

Miss Francis.

Mister Dim.

Miss Gypsy.

The Blueberries.

Atta.

Flik.

And the last face of all, one she'd never see again until it was her time to go home to The Great Tree. Kind blue eyes and freckled purple skin like Dot's. Wrinkles lining her nose and cheeks like the rings of a tree. A mouth on the verge of splitting open with laughter.

Her mother. The bravest ant she knew, after Flik. A queen who always put others — her colony — first.

Dot opened her eyes and unfurled her fingers. She drew a deep breath in, counted to three like Atta had taught her, and released it.

"Okay," she said, turning so she could look into those gleaming red eyes when she spoke. "I'll go with you."

Zinc's response was interrupted by another yelp from behind. This time, it wasn't from Aphie.

She spun just in time to see her aphid leap from his captor's grasp. The ant was waving one of his hands around, howling a string of words that would make Doctor Flora blush. The other two could only stare in confusion, which was matched by the look on Zinc's face.

But Dot had been bitten enough times by sharp aphid teeth to know exactly what happened.

"Run, Aphie, run!" she screamed as the tiny bug scurried as fast as his legs could carry him. "Go get Flik!"

The other ants dove to catch him, but Aphie was too quick for them. He zigzagged between their legs, letting out a shrill bark of triumph as they both face planted into the soil. Then he disappeared into the forest.

He was safe.

Dot was off the ground before she even felt her wings buzzing. She flew as fast as she could, determined to reach the anthill and sound the alarm about these visitors who turned out to be invaders.

Then a hand grabbed her ankle. Dot gasped as she felt a stab of pain in the sole of her foot, like someone had pricked it with a cactus spine.

She kicked her leg back and grinned when her heel made contact with something soft. Whoever was holding her let go with a curse. She pumped her wings even harder, focusing on the gaps of brilliant blue sky above her. Soon she'd break through the canopy of clover leaves and the anthill would be in sight.

Then the corners of her vision started to darken.

Dot blinked and shook her head, but the darkness kept growing. It crept across her eyes like vines, casting the sky and clover tops in shadow. Her arms and legs felt like they were being filled with sand as a heaviness spread outward from her chest. Her wings began to slow.

She was tired. Too tired to think. Too tired to fly.

There was another pulse of pain in her foot. The tops of her antennae grazed the underside of a petal. She was almost there.

Then she dropped.

Wind whistled past Dot's feelers as she fell. Her vision was completely black now, so she couldn't see how far away the ground was. She waited for the hard earth to catch her.

Instead, she landed in someone's arms.

"Flik?" she said hopefully. Her own voice sounded muffled, like she was talking through a mouthful of pollen. Exhaustion seeped through her veins, begging her to let herself sleep.

She was on the verge of giving into it when she realized something with a jolt of panic.

Her head felt empty.

Her crown was gone.

Before she drifted into unconsciousness, Dot heard a soothing whisper in her antenna.

"I told you, little one. My name is Zinc."

If any insect happened to be flying over Ant Island on that lovely spring day, they would have been witness to an unusual sight. A circus wagon — pulled by two large and wary-looking centipedes — rolling through the underbrush of the clover forest, moving away from the circus to which it belonged.

An ant the color of coal sitting atop the wagon, clutching the reins of the centipedes with a look of manic glee on his red-streaked face.

Another ant, this one much smaller and colored like lavender, fast asleep in his arms.